A prisoner who became "trapped" in jail after being handed a controversial indefinite sentence can finally be released after 17 years behind bars.
Danny Weatherson, from Scotswood, Newcastle, was just 17 when he was convicted of two attempted robberies, of a coat and a mobile phone.
He was given an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, a type of ‘indefinite’ custodial punishment, which has now been scrapped.
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The judge at Newcastle Crown Court recommended he serve just over 15 months before applying for parole.
Yet 17 years later he is still behind bars at HMP Northumberland after repeated attempts to get released were knocked back by the Parole Board. But now, following a hearing earlier this month, the board has agreed that Danny can finally be freed.
A Parole Board spokesman said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Daniel Weatherson following an oral hearing.
"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
"A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
"Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."
The Chronicle understands that Danny must stay at an approved hostel after his release and will be monitored by an electronic tag. He is set to leave prison in September when a place at the accommodation, which is in Newcastle's West End, becomes available.
The years spent behind bars have taken a devastating toll on Danny's physical and mental health, the Chronicle has previously reported.
Danny is just one of thousands of convicts serving controversial IPP sentences, which came into force for England and Wales in 2005 but were axed in 2012. The sentences were introduced to prevent offenders whose crime did not warrant a life sentence from being released if they were thought to still pose a danger to the public
But critics have argued they have led to hundreds of convicts who could be safely released languishing in jail after becoming institutionalised.
